I think the Adventure is deceptively fast because of it's larger size. The Revolution feels fast (and it is) due to it's shorter length. You feel the speed more in a smaller craft. But I've found that my Adventure ends up being just as fast if not a little faster, effort for effort, when I use a GPS to track the actual speed.

Everybody likes something different. After years of paddling my first experience in a Hobie Mirage Boat (2005 Outback) was so positive I bought one the same day I first tried one. 4 more Mirage Drive boats have followed it and I wouldn't pick up a paddle if it weren't for a few of the more shallow, rocky rivers where the Mirage Drive is not ideal. Of course, I realize that some really enjoy paddling.

whitewater:By the sound of it you are a very experienced paddler (this is a very good thing). Forgive some of us on here for giving you a hard time, there are quite a few recreational paddlers out there new to the sport who just don't know a lot about this sport and throw buckshot at us. My wife and I are experienced kayakers, our main thing is sea, touring, and expedition kayaking, we have owned many different kayaks over the years, and realize there are two completely different markets out there. You have the recreational kayak market for part time users who just want to get out on the water and have fun. This is the majority of the market, and down here in Florida you will find a recreational kayak or two in nearly every back yard. You will see pretty much every type of Ocean, Wilderness, and ... a list too big to mention of other kayaks out there.Then you have the serious paddlers/kayakers (we call them paddlers, I think you fit this catagory). These people are very serious about our sport and own really nice well designed and efficient boats like Kruger, Beluga, Hobie, etc.A single kayak like the Hobie revolution would be quite comparable to your redfish 14 (which is a nice kayak), and if you built up your legs (just like anything else you have to get used to things) and mounted turbo fins, the Revo would out perform the redfish 14 by quite a large factor, and you could easily double/triple your current comfortabe distance, add the sail kit and you can double/triple it again (spend more time fishing). ( Warning -- once you troll with a Mirage drive you will never go back).Now lets talk about Tandem kayaks, which it sounds like the way you want to roll. Most tandem designs are recreational only and don't perform anywhere near what a well designed high end single kayak would (why they are called divorce boats). Also I would guess that 90% plus of the higher end kayak market are single seaters especially in the sea/touring/excursion market. If my wife and I were to try and take a 40 or 50 mile excursion together in a tandem Ocean Malibu or Zest two for example there would be hell to pay for it. But going out in a Kruger or Beluga tandem would be a pleasure. We used to go touring with our Oasis and Revolution Hobies (one in each boat), and that was acceptable, except the old Oasis we had was a bit of a slug solo (but I understand the newer ones are great). We tried a couple large river excursions tandem, and it didn't go well with the Oasis. In 2010 we traded in the Oasis for a Hobie Tandem Island and it was a dream come true for me. My wife now insists that we go tandem and actually had me sell her Revo because she would rather tandem. The Tandem Island as a kayak I would rate up there with the Tahe Lifestyle duo, or the Beluga Easy Rider CRX 2G, or the Kruger Cruiser. My wife and I would take any of these boats in a heartbeat if they included the mirage drive system, ( I will no longer own a boat without mirage drive). Even though Hobie does not market the Tandem Island as dual kayak at all, it is in my opinion one of the better tandom Kayaks out there today and holds it's own with all the pro-class single and tandem paddler kayaks as either a single or tandem boat. And just to sweeten the pot they throw in a free sail kit with AMA's for when you want a real sailboat and want to go out in open ocean, all for about the same price as a high end single or dual pro style sea kayak of comparable quality. I might be mistaken but the Hobie Adventure series boats ( AI/TI) are possibly the most popular small boats on the market today. If you want to see some in action just search youtube for Tandem Island. You get all that plus one of the better 'tandem' sea/touring/expedition kayaks out there today which Hobie doesn't promote at all (it's a closely guarded secret LOL).PS My TI (in solo kayak mode) is faster than our Revolution was (and pretty much anything else Hobie makes) I'm just sayin. Hope this helps you.Bob

My post just got approved on my end today. I guess someone had to think long and hard about allowing a critical post.

The first was approved by me on Saturday morning. I didn't have to think long or hard... we have a small moderation staff and during weekends and holidays, our days off, forum moderation of the first two posts can take some time. That's all.

The standard Mirage fins can push a barge (or tow a boat) with very little effort on your legs, so would be perfect for pedaling when a crew does not.

It is possible that you tried a boat that does have the Turbo fins as mentioned in several other posts. They have resistance that can make the initial feel like being in third gear on a bike just starting out. Standard fins commonly feel very light to the legs... like being in first gear down hill.

Review roadrunner's suggestion about pedal adjustments, seat angle etc. It could be very uncomfortable to have the pedals too short.

2. Select "Browse" and find the image you wish to upload from your harddrive. For the "Resize" option I usually choose "Message Board 640x480" (or larger if needed). Then click "Upload Now!"

3. The capcha screen will then appear and you will either have to type in the answer to a simple question, or just type in some text. After having completed this - click "Upload Now!"

4. After a bit of a wait (depending on how large the image file size is) you will see the following screen appear.

If you click on the text underneath "IMG Code for Forums & Message Boards" it will be highlighted. You can right-click on it and select "copy" to copy the text. All you need to do then is just paste it into the message reply window you've created and where you want your photos to appear. You can do this by right-clicking in the window where your cursor is positioned, and selecting "paste" from the menu. When you preview the posting you will see the image appear where you pasted the link.

My post just got approved on my end today. I guess someone had to think long and hard about allowing a critical post. My wife and I have owned kayaks for the last 7 years or so. I am a lifelong duck hunter and have been paddling perogues all my life. I am now 49 years old. We own (2) heritage redfish 14s for fishing. My wife is not as good a paddler as I and often has trouble keeping up and finding her way around the maze of salt marsh that we fish in. We wanted to try tandem fishing out so that we could avoid the 2 prevous problems as well as actually interact more when we fish. We have rented tandem paddle yaks and as it usually is, I am dong most of the paddling and it is difficult with the extra weight of another person and a heavier hull that it far less hydrodynamic than a solo kayak. I once stopped someone on the beach that had an oasis and they were gracious enough to let us try it out. It too had that heavy cumbersome feeling to it. I just tried another out from a guy that we were considering buying one from and had that same initail feelings asa well. Niether way is easy. I would have to say that I am still very much considering one because of the hands free fishing. I did not have a pro advising me of proper setup either time. Perhaps it takes some fine tuning to get it dialid in.

My wife and I are in our 70's and our legs are probably the best parts of our bodies. I had minor knee surgery after we got our Oasis, and I feel pedaling our Oasis helped to speed up and fine tune my rehab post op.

Our 2009 Oasis bought in 2010 was our first kayak, and like you we weren't that impressed with it in the water at first.

Our Oasis was taken out of its wrap in the parking lot of the dealer and loaded on to my truck. Apparently, this may be standard procedure for many dealers as we had trouble with steering our new Oasis. If you read this helpful site, the improper tuning of the steering system from many dealers is a fairly common and totally avoidable occurence.

Thanks to Road Runner, others on this site, I went to the internet and found out that our rudder was not centered, and the steering system was very sloppy.

Once I found the internet site showing what to do, with a little help from my wife, I untied the steering lines, centered the rudder and retied the lines.

The next day. we took it to a local lake and tried it. Our Oasis went from a clumsy barge like yak to one that could do 180's and 360's in basically its length. Now I have my wife use the rudder controls before we put the Oasis in the water, and I make any minor adjustment that may be needed.

The other unique problem, we have had is getting the Mirage to fit properly in the front site. My wife says the process reminds her of dealing with someone with severe PMS. That problem has been taken care of with the new Mirages. So we deal with it and make sure it is inserted/engaged properly.

With those minor problems addressed on each trip, our Oasis is very fast and very able to handle tight maneuvering.

We easily average 4+ mph with it and have hit maintained over 6 + mph for sprints or leaving experienced yakkers behind in calm water and even faster in waves up to 15".

On our last trip last year, on our local river we were about 1.5 miles upstream from the launch site, and a surprise upstream wind of about 15 knots and the predicted incoming high tide. We slowed down to about 2 mph, stayed dry, while I steered into the slicks and any leeward areas. We passed and left a pod of experienced yakkers with paddles trying to get back to the launch site.

We beat the pod back to the launch site and had our Oasis out of the water and back on the trailer before the pod arrived. They were in their 30-40's, wet and very winded. I helped a couple of them to get on the ramp and to get out of their yaks.

Alright guys. Now I see why ya''ll did not understand my issues with the Oasis. I went to the Demo Day and jumped in a NEW Oasis. OMG, it was night and day differece from what I experienced in the 2 older boats I tested. It was smooth and responsive and quite easy. I dropped my money down. I have seen the light!

Start saving up for a second Hobie. My wife lost all interest in the Oasis the day we got two singles (Revo 13 and Adventure). Handsfree, power through current and winds...she does not need me anymore and could care less about my fishing. However, I don't see how any of this exempts her from helping with the cleaning and storing of everything.

Having never before paddled a kayak and purchasing an Oasis, my wife and I remain amazed at how easy it is to pedal for hours and how far we can travel. We can only imagine how much more work it would be to paddle.

Start saving up for a second Hobie. My wife lost all interest in the Oasis the day we got two singles (Revo 13 and Adventure). Handsfree, power through current and winds...she does not need me anymore and could care less about my fishing. However, I don't see how any of this exempts her from helping with the cleaning and storing of everything.

Took the Oasis on her maiden voyage. Went out 1.5 miles one way and back in a fairly protected bayou. It was blowing 25 knots with maybe 20 blowing down some open stretches. It did not affect us at all. We were able to pretty much pedal the whole time at a pace faster than you can comfortably paddle, without stoppping but a few seconds now and then. I can only atribute my previous comments to the assumption that the other boats had not been maintained very well over the last couple years. Also, the Hobie rep said they changed the design slightly for the 2012 models. Whatever. Bravo! This boat is awesome!

Took the Oasis on her maiden voyage. Went out 1.5 miles one way and back in a fairly protected bayou. It was blowing 25 knots with maybe 20 blowing down some open stretches. It did not affect us at all. We were able to pretty much pedal the whole time at a pace faster than you can comfortably paddle, without stoppping but a few seconds now and then.

I can only atribute my previous comments to the assumption that the other boats had not been maintained very well over the last couple years. Also, the Hobie rep said they changed the design slightly for the 2012 models. Whatever. Bravo! This boat is awesome!

Your trip sounds like our last trip, last summer. When my wife gets clearance from her doctor re her healing wrist, we will be back.

"We easily average 4+ mph with it and have hit maintained over 6 + mph on w/a GPS, for sprints or leaving experienced yakkers behind in calm water and even faster in waves up to 15".

On our last trip last year, on our local river we were about 1.5 miles upstream from the launch site, and a surprise upstream wind of about 15 knots and the predicted incoming high tide. We slowed down to about 2 mph, stayed dry, while I steered into the slicks and any leeward areas. We passed and left a pod of experienced yakkers with paddles trying to get back to the launch site.

We beat the pod back to the launch site and had our Oasis out of the water and back on the trailer before the pod arrived. They were in their 30-40's, wet and very winded. I helped a couple of them to get on the ramp and to get out of their yaks.

Augaug is right: the Mirage drive is like a diesel: lots of torque, not as high a top end speed (and the boats unfortunately don't have good glide).

But for me the biggest advantage becomes apparent when the wind and waves pick up. Try paddling in 25-40 mph winds: the paddle wants to rip out of your hands or tip you over, and headway is very difficult if it's possible at all. Then try the Mirage drive: all that torque but without the wind resistance (your fins are down deep under the wind and turbulence) just keeps you motoring ahead. Just hunker down in your seat, wiggle a finger to steer every now and then, and let the waves wash over you. A traditional sea kayak will beat a Hobie most any day on flat water, but when the wind comes up, it would take an exceptional paddler to beat one of the longer Hobies (Adventure, Revo, Oasis pedaled by two). This is very important for safety, in my opinion, and gives me confidence on the water.

Personally, I find flat water rather boring now and I just wish for some wind or swell.